Co-Founder of FreeCollegeRaffles.com, Andy Stimmel, wanted to find a way to help UCF students out.

As UCF Alumnus himself, he wanted to establish a way to connect UCF students to their local community through an intriguing and beneficial way. The idea formed into FreeCollegeRaffles.com, a site that gives away a new gift card every week day to popular restaurants and stores such as Lazy Moon and Chipotle just for signing up for the raffle.

The Raffles work by students earning points by engaging with the website (poll questions, mini surveys, referring friends) and then using those points as entries into different raffles in the marketplace.

For those who are skeptical and wondering what the catch is, there really is none according to Stimmel.

“There really is no catch! All students need is their UCF email to sign up and they can start engaging and winning on the site. Once they, or one their friends wins from the site, they will realize how cool and free it really is!” Stimmel said in an e-mail.

The funding for the site comes from local UCF restaurants/stores, UCF alumni, or other organizations.

While the site is still very young and chances of winning are quite high, Stimmel hopes that the site will grow to earn more sponsors and eventually more diverse prizes for students.

“When fall semester hits, we are expanding our variety to prizes such as amusement park tickets, iPhone accessories, bookstore gift cards, electronics, and of course our “must have” Publix, Wal-Mart, and Gas Gift Cards,” Stimmel said.

Currently, FreeCollegeRaffles.com is offering ‘250 points’ extra to anyone who puts “knightnews” in as a reference code when signing up.